Thomas MacDonagh

Thomas MacDonagh (1 February 1878-3 May 1916) was one of the seven leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, Ireland and a battalion commander of the Irish Volunteers.

Biography
Thomas MacDonagh was born in Cloughjordan, County Tipperary, Ireland to a Catholic family, and he became a teacher at St. Kieran's College in County Kilkenny before becoming an Irish nationalist poet. In 1908, he joined Patrick Pearse's St. Enda's Scohol due to his friendship with Pearse and his love of the Irish language, serving as Assistant Director. MacDonagh joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood during the summer of 1915, and he became the commander of a battalion of Irish Volunteers during the 1916 Easter Rising. MacDonagh's battalion protected a factory in Dublin, and the British Army decided to bypass the factory and eliminate weaker battalions of Irish rebels. MacDonagh was captured after Pearse agreed to surrender to the British, and MacDonagh was executed by firing squad on 3 May 1916.